Taking the Hill

Ok for the harder news.

Aiyana's leukemia type is confirmed as MPAL - Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia, and ALM is primary so the doctors have begun an aggressive regimen of 10 days on, recover days off, and a repeat. Treatment began yesterday. The length of recovery days will depend on how our girl tolerates treatment, and that varies widely. Some do very well on it, and we know that if Aiyana's strong spirit has anything to say about it, she will, too. No matter what, she will try very hard and be very brave.

Her mother told her last night there is a boxing match going on inside and that she might not feel well until the good guys win. Aiyana understood at once what she was talking about. It was a great analogy.

I have been looking the disease up online, and there are all sorts of statistics and ratios that suddenly are unimportant. Reading stories and statistical probabilities only diffuses what is going on here and now with this precious child.

When Aiyana's mom was hungry to know information way into the future, her oncologist wisely replied, 'I will tell you what we are doing today, and tomorrow I will tell you what we are doing tomorrow.'

And so we will take this in small doses, just like Aiyana does, to fight the good fight and keep strong. Minute by minute, day by day, we will take it one hill at a time.